Sharing glimpses of my journey through life as I endeavor to Fully Rely On God for Peace

THANK – Count you blessings! No matter what you are experiencing, if you take the time to stop and think about all the positive things in your life, you will most assuredly realize that God has blessed you in immeasurable ways. They may not be obvious at first, especially if you are facing difficulties or struggling with some particular trouble in your life, but I promise, the blessings are there.

GOD – He loves you, He cares about you, He is right by your side. You are never alone! You were created on purpose, for a purpose. And even if you feel like no one “gets” you or could possibly love you if they really knew you, God does. He is always with you. He weeps when you weep, He laughs when you laugh. He will never leave you.

IT’S – Not it was or it will be. It is! Much time can be wasted fretting about mistakes of the past or worrying about the future. Take the time to look around you and take in the present. What matters the most right now? Don’t miss out on all life has to offer today by looking to the past or the future. Stay in the moment. Carpe diem … sieze the day!!

FRIDAY – Enjoy the weekend to the fullest! Relax. Let go of the stresses of the week. Set your “To Do” list aside for once and just enjoy the break from all the hassles you may be experiencing at work. Do something good for yourself and don’t feel guilty about it. Enjoy the season, get back to that hobby you love, read a book, take a bubble bath!

When I was a little girl, I lived in a rural farm community just outside Cedar Rapids, IA. I spent a lot of time wandering through the fields which surrounded our house and one of my favorite things to do was to pick fluffy dandelions and make wishes. I would close my eyes tightly for good measure, make a list of things I hoped and dreamed for, and, after inhaling as deeply as possible, I would blow with all my might. I remember watching with great anticipation as my efforts were rewarded by the sight of a thousand wishes scattered on the wind.

I was thinking today how unfortunate it is that as adults we often become so burdened with the responsibilities of life we lose touch with that childlike wonder. In fact becoming childlike in thought or behavior is often frowned upon.

It seems our whole life we are taught to grow up and become responsible adults who lead mature lives and exhibit sound judgment. I mean, when was the last time your boss called your team into his office to play a game of leap frog?

We are so conditioned toward maturity and achievement in every aspect of our lives that we can easily lose sight of the wonders of childhood. Boring, boring, snore, snore. How much richer is life when we take the time to play and laugh and daydream!

Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life – learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
~Robert Fulgham

When was the last time you spent an afternoon lying on a blanket just to search for animal shapes in the clouds, or threw a handful of maple tree seeds into the air to see how far your “helicopters” would fly, or sent a rock kerplunking into a lake to watch the ripples form?

Does the mere thought make you cringe? Seem irresponsible or immature? Do you find yourself asking who has time for such frivolous things? C’mon! Get out that sidewalk chalk, blow some bubbles, chew a whole pack of bubble gum just to see how big a bubble you can make. You might just find that tapping into some childlike wonder is what you need to bring some much needed balance into your life. Besides, I dare you. No …I double-dog dare you.

Do you ever find yourself surrounded with so much negativity that you just want to scream, “Stop the madness!”? It seems that we are bombarded with messages of doom and gloom everywhere we go and through every form of media. It doesn’t take long in listening to the news, or talking with co-workers, or even just visiting with a friend, for conversations to become a dialogue of all that is wrong in the world and life in general. Add to that the fact that some people seem to only be content when finding something to be discontented about and it can make for quite a challenge to stay positive and keep smiling.
At times like these, it is helpful for me to remember that an attitude of gratitude can go a long way in keeping things in perspective. I can’t control people, places or things. As hard as that is for me to grasp, sometimes, it is simply that simple. It’s easy for me to take the weight of the world on my shoulders and even to feel responsible for the happiness of others. So much so, that I often let the mood or attitudes of other people become my own in an effort to take their burden from them. Newsflash to me: It doesn’t work!

What I can do, however, is check my own thoughts and attitudes and make changes where needed. I like the passage of scripture in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 which states:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

It’s a great reminder that I really can find something to be thankful for no matter what my circumstances and no matter what the attitude of those around me might be.

I often make being grateful much more complicated than it really is. To simply stop at any point in my day and say, “I’m thankful for…” is usually all it takes to change my attitude from negative to positive. It’s surprising how once I choose to start counting my blessings the negativity spinning around me just quiets down. I like it all peaceful and quiet so much better!